State wrestling: For Simley's Nick Wanzek, an ongoing 'pursuit of perfection'

Simley senior Nick Wanzek calls this weekend his "farewell tour" to his high school wrestling career.

It isn't arrogance that labels the final days of his six-year varsity career as much as gratitude to the mentors, coaches and support he has had along the way in shaping his life as an athlete, student and person.

"This is bittersweet for me," the 170-pounder said Friday, March 1. "Wrestling, and the commitment that goes with it, has the deepest meaning for me. Wrestling with these guys, and competing for our school and community, has been an honor, one I will never forget."

Neither will anyone else who knows him.

Wanzek is putting the final touches on his prep career this weekend at the Minnesota State High School League's state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center. On Thursday, he helped lead the Spartans to a runner-up finish in Class 2A. Previously, he was a part of Simley's run of five consecutive Class 2A championships.

He began his pursuit of a third individual championship Friday with a 13-3 victory over Waseca's Zach Gehloff in the first round. In the quarterfinals, he recorded a 17-2 technical fall over Connor Metzger of MAHACA.

Wanzek, a University of Minnesota recruit, is 43-0 this season and 217-30 for his career. He is chasing the rare trifecta of winning titles in the Minnesota Christmas, Cheesehead and the MSHSL tournament all in the same season.

"From the start, I did envision success for Nick," Simley coach Will Short said. "He was just so technically strong.

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It was just a matter of time that he grew into his body and he would throw that technique on people and dominate them."

Wanzek, also a standout football player for the Spartans, calls his prep wrestling journey a "pursuit of perfection." His road, he admits, has been filled with potholes.

"I used to get beaten down in practice or have bad losses," he said. "I would really get down on myself in those times. I really wanted to be the best I could be. When I wasn't, I felt horrible about it. There were small windows in my mind where I would think about quitting. I never gave into it, though. I had to have faith and the mind-set to get after it."

Short helped him deal with the negative vibes.

"He would beat himself up pretty good if he doesn't achieve perfection in just about everything he does," Short said. "That's a special kind of drive. You don't see that often."

Wanzek, first drawn to wrestling as a second-grader when he saw the team playing dodgeball after practice, has used that mind-set to become a two-time national folkstyle champion. He admittedly muddled about in wrestling his first two seasons in the youth program before throwing himself into the sport.

"As I grew older, I really liked that, in wrestling, you didn't have to rely on coaches and teammates, necessarily, on game night, like you do in football or basketball," he said. "In wrestling, if you lose, it's on you. At an early age, I got that. It helped me find my niche in this sport. I got out of this sport what I put into it. I worked hard, stuck with it and overcame any negative thoughts."

His pursuit of perfection also extends into the classroom.

Wanzek, who has a 3.9 grade-point average, is the coaches association academic state champion, based on a formula used that includes GPA, victories and championships.

"He is everything you want a student-athlete to be," said Short, who also serves as Simley's activities director.